[ Artist / Within ] In her vibrant pink apartment, Josephine reimagines nail art while getting vulnerable about her music journey

The beautiful thing about meeting people in New York is that you’ll eventually learn that everyone is balancing at least two to three creative passions and side hustles. It’s the New York way but it’s also the only balancing act to keep up with the fast-paced hustle and bustle of such a thriving, sleepless city. There is simply nothing short of creative and artistic energy here, even if you’re mostly wrapped up in a sometimes-soulless corporate job. But that’s what makes everyone here so damn resilient because that doesn’t stop one from entirely throwing themselves into a creative outlet, doing so skillfully and passionately.

When I first met Josephine last year, it was a business meeting for our respective jobs (well, mine as being a co-founder of Now You See Us). Most of our relationship orbited around this specific project within a work-adjacent dynamic. However, the more I got to know her, the more I was fascinated by this Indonesian-bred art director, whom I later discovered also sang in a band called Nap Room. As if that wasn’t enough, it wasn’t much soon after our project that Josephine dove into her nail art business, JariJari Nails.

As a creatively-inclined individual myself, I am purely in awe of how other creatives navigate multiple avenues of expression without either spreading themselves too thin or feeling like an imposter in each discipline, all the time. But more importantly, these conversations have been a case study into how other artists build their own identities through their unique crafts.

In her vibrantly light pink apartment that also doubles as her nail art studio, I speak to Josephine about her early nail art endeavors while learning about her inspiration for her music and lyrical storytelling.

When did you get into designing nail art?

I used to get my nails done a lot but I think it became a journey [for me] because I used to just get solid colors but then the more I got my nails done, the more I felt like [the act itself] was a creative expression for me. I feel like getting my nails done is like [getting] an accessory for my body, which is really cool.

It all started when I found a couple of nail techs in Indonesia that I really liked — shoutouts to Capriques and Polishe Beaute. The nail artists were really passionate about what they were doing and really honing into the craft of nail art so when I came back to New York, I decided to try doing nail art myself. I turned out to be really good, which is thanks to my creative day job.

How do you come up with your nail designs?

I think just random things that inspire me. Sometimes I look at things and wonder how it would look as a design. For instance, I was having dinner [one night] and I thought, ‘You know what could be cool? Doing a dinnerware [design].’ So I ended up getting these dinnerware charms that I'm going to do for my client.

How do you pitch your ideas to potential clients?

Luckily I've had a lot of return clients, so half of the time, my clients are actually people that appreciate my creative vision. What’s interesting is that my clientèle has very, very different jobs from all over — some of them are interior designers, some of them are lawyers or something. One of my favorite clients is an interior designer and she’d send me a toolkit of things she's designed in her store. Then I would take that as an inspiration for her nail designs.

I think I appreciate when clients give me a moodboard instead of pictures of other nail designs because then I can create ideas based on those moodboards. For instance, later today I'm doing a Pisces-inspired nail set.

That makes sense though because at least that process [of receiving moodboards] gives you more creative freedom.

I can make something original, which honestly is what I prefer anyway because I want to make something new. I want to make original designs most of the time rather than copying someone else's work.

Do you feel like making original designs has been the most intriguing for you as a nail artist?

I think so. I feel like the original stuff is also my best work, honestly — the ones where I am making my own designs rather than copying other people. I always make sketches before my clients come and they always appreciate it because usually things doesn't always look like my sketch and I think that's okay. And that's when my freestyle ability come in.

“I like the creative freedom that my clients trust me with. Sure, it’s a lot of pressure but it’s also a good challenge for me as an artist.”

What have you learned the most about yourself through this nail artistic journey?

I’ve learned that I now have patience. I'm usually really impatient but there are a lot of layers and steps that go into nail art, even when a design may look really simple. For example, a particular product might have to be applied before another step, etc. so it's all just a process you can't rush.

How long does it take for the entire process of ideating the nail designs, then executing them out, and then putting them on the client?

I always consult with clients through DM’s because I always plan the design before they come to their appointments. I don't like going into it blindly. I want to have at least a rough sketch of what I'm going to do. Usually I sketch the designs on the computer for maybe fifteen to thirty minutes every client, but now I’ve gotten pretty fast. I can do complex designs in maybe three to three and a half hours, but something simpler would take maybe two hours — it really depends. So far I've been nailing [the process] at three hours, which I think is really good for all the complex stuff but that also comes with a lot of preparation.

What's been the challenging part about the nail art process?

Sometimes you have a vision but then you carry it out and it doesn't look good. I've definitely had experiences like that and I would feel bad for the client. I know I'm trying to do my best, but in the end, it doesn't look as good as I thought it was going to be.

Plus you're running your own business on top of being a full-time employee at Spotify. How has that been balancing the two jobs?

It's actually hard to find balance, but I am really happy. Designing nails is a way for me to be really creative without looking at my screen. I see this as art — your nail is my canvas so this is really fun for me. I don't really see it as work, and I wouldn't say my price is cheap but it’s also dedicating my time and my time is not cheap.

There’s a lot of prep work that happens before my clients come in that they don’t even know I do. I think about my clients all the time in ways such as, ‘What can I do for this one client?’ or ‘What do I think this client’s personality is like?’ Everyone has different a personality and I believe our nails are an expression of our personalities as well, which has been really fun to learn about my clients.

Do you feel that you're contributing to your clients’ sense of self through the nail art you design specifically for them?

Yeah, it's really fun when they tell me, ‘Oh my God, I get so many compliments when I go outside!’ because I feel like I'm getting the secondhand compliments whenever my clients get compliments. It's really fun when you can see the difference in their mood before and after their nails are done.

There are a lot of clients that come to me and have never really gotten any intricate nail art done so that’s really beautiful for me. I appreciate everyone who comes to me, even clients who come only once.

Did you expect to be such an influence in people’s moods when you started doing this?

I'm so conscious of people's emotions so I can sense whether people like something or not. As soon as I’m done with their nails, I try to see how they feel. I'm like, ‘Okay, thank God they're happy.’

I think I can tell if someone doesn't like something but so far most people like how their nails end up looking, which makes me happy.

On top of nail art, you also create music. How do you balance all your different art disciplines? You’re an art director at Spotify, and you are a musician and you design nails.

Actually, I’m very picky about my passions. I love trying new things but I rarely go to a restaurant twice or when I cook something, I rarely cook something twice. I like trying new things, but I'm picky about what I invest my time into. Once I invest my time into something, I really do give 110% and that's how I feel about my music and my nail art.

How do you not get creatively fatigued or burnt out?

I haven't felt really felt fatigued yet with my nail art because there are so many things that I want to do, and I try not to take it too seriously. I mean, I do take it seriously, but also not at the same time. For example, I’m okay if things don't work out with a particular nail design. It’s funny, I had one of my clients ask me, ‘At what point did you know you were ready to let people into your space because it’s a lot of pressure on you to get it done right?’ And I just said, ‘You actually don't know when you're ready, but I guess you'll never know until you try because then you're just going to be left wondering, ‘What if I do that?’ or ‘What if I do this?’’ So I’m okay if things don’t work out because I still tried.

I've always had a lot of creative ideas in my head but I'm very conscious of what I want to invest my time into. I think you can like a lot of things but I see it as ‘What is something that I can be consistently good at and also, consistently interested in?’ And I think there's always going to be space for beauty. People are always going to be interested in getting their nails done. There are a lot of things that inspire me, and it's not just particular to nail design.

Is that same thinking applied to your process of making music?

I say this at some of my shows but sometimes, I find it hard to find inspiration when I'm really happy. What am I going to write about? Honestly, it is pretty strange but when I’m really sad, I hold onto that emotion or my emotions are really intensified. It’s a little sad that we hold onto heartbreak and grief for so long but now that I'm in a relationship, I find it actually a little bit harder to get inspired.

Is that how you got into music because when you were feeling heartbroken, you felt the need to let those emotions out?

Honestly, probably. I have a lot of songs that are about heartbreak and stuff because my emotions were really raw. I was so productive when I was heartbroken. I guess it’s because there are a lot of things you can't say to that person anymore, but when you're in love, you can say whatever you want to the person you love. Then there are less pent up emotions you’re holding onto.

Do you think designing nail art is the opposite of channeling those raw emotions since it doesn't require you to interrogate those deep, sad emotions so it's less emotionally exhausting?

Yeah because nail art is my arts and craft, and that's why I really like it. Again, I'm not looking at screens as much, which is really exciting. Instead, I am thinking about the moodboards my clients send me and how I can design around those. For example, my interior designer client sent me her design moodboard of the store she's designing. Other times, people would just send me a photo. This one client sent me a picture of a balloon and requested for balloon nails. And I thought, ‘Balloon nails… that's so funny but I love that idea.’ I like the creative freedom that my clients trust me with. Sure, it's a lot of pressure but it's also a good challenge for me as an artist.

I’ve started this new idea called the Mystery Claw, where I design something based off how a client feels. I would ask them, ‘Can you describe the nail design you’d like in three words?’ And they’d respond with three vibes or emotions or something. And that's been really fun for me to experiment with.

That's really cool actually because in doing so, both you and the client are exploring this creative space together.

Yeah, usually people would say something like, ‘I want to feel empowered’ or ‘I want to feel a regal’ or something. And to me, I can interpret that in so many different ways and come up with a design that would best help them feel that way.

That's really powerful. I never even thought about it that way. I love that artists have that ability to really visualize emotions.

For example, there are so many different [nail polish] colors, and whenever clients ask me, ‘What color should I get?’ I actually throw the question back at them and say, ‘I don't know. What color do you like?’ Because at the end of the day, it’s a personal preference — what I like and what I think a particular color channels for me might not be the same color for you.

How long do you see yourself continuing with nail art?

You know what, I've gotten questions like, ‘Why don't you move to space or something?’ and ‘Would you ever do this full time?’ Honestly, probably not, because I don't want to hate my hobby, and I see this as a hobby right now.

Do you feel that way with your current job as an art director?

I mean, that's different. That's my day job, and I think it's easier to hate your day job. Not that I hate my day job but what I've learned [from the past] is that I would get so into something but then the fire that I have, the passion that I have initially, burns out as fast as the fire that I put into it. Does that make sense? So I'm just going to see nail art as something that I can consistently do for hopefully a while. You never know what life will throws at you.

Your nail art and service started off with having friends over in your space but now you're inviting people you don’t know into your home. How did you become comfortable opening up that boundary?

Most of the time, the people who come here are women and I think it's easier for me to feel at ease when I have women coming to my space. Also, I have a policy requiring clients to provide a deposit and disclose their email information. This, along with a form clients fill in as extra precaution to protect myself, helps ensure my safety and establishes boundaries as well. If someone’s not willing to give me their information then I’m not obligated to give them my energy either because this is my private space.

“I think it’s okay to explore different styles and eventually, you may find your own particular voice. In my case, I learned my unique voice is that I can translate a story or an emotion into nail art, and to me, that makes sense.”

With music and nail art and your job as an art director, it seems like your various avenues of creative expression naturally feed into one another. Does it ever feel like you’re being pulled in different directions?

Actually, I also used to do photography. I don’t do it anymore but I still appreciate photography. I don't know, I guess I just wanted to visualize [ideas] through different channels. I think it's hard to describe what I do but I don't like being a one-hit wonder. I like to be a jack off all trades because that's how I see myself. For example, I had to take pictures of a project at work and no one else could do it, and since we had no budget, I decided to take the photos. I see it as a strength when you can be good at a bunch of things because for me, they’re all just different ways of being creative.

Actually, music and nail art did cross over once. This one artist I knew sent me her music and her album art, so I designed nails based on the album cover. I took apart the lyrics from her song and I interpreted them into nail designs.

Would you want to see more crossovers between your nail work and music space?

What I would like to see is people sending me ideas that are not pictures of other nail designs but examples of things that they love or are inspired by because that's what I want to do more. For example, if someone sent me a picture of, I don't know, their dog or something, that’d be fun to interpret into nail art.

So what makes something a passion that you want to dive into? What's the distinction between photography — where you learned you were good at but realized that's not something you want to dive into — versus music or nail art?

I think I was good at photography but I don't think I was amazing at it. I guess, I didn't feel like I was as fulfilled doing photgoraphy as I am designing nails. Nail art kind of speaks to me in that I feel like I'm offering something different. With my nail stuff, it's my take on nail art and again, I try to not do something that other people have done and rely on my own creative vision.

With music, it's the same way where whenever [my bandmate] Mithun and I go into a work session for Nap Room, we don't think, ‘Let's try to mimic a song’ or something. We just vibe off whatever we're feeling that day or create sounds we like. That's why our music, honestly, sounds so different from one another if you were to listen to all of them at once. Sometimes people ask me what genre our music is, and I honestly don't know because we just make things that we like.

I think there's a beauty in not subscribing to a specific genre, in the same way I approach my nail art because when you go through my nail art Instagram (@jarijarinails), a lot of the designs look different from one another. I think it's okay to explore different styles and eventually, you may find your own particular voice. In my case, I learned my unique voice is that I can translate a story or an emotion into nail art, and to me, that makes sense.

I've been seeing you do a lot more Asian-inspired designs. Where did that come from?

Initially, my first Asian-inspired nail design was for Lunar New Year. But generally, I just find Asian-inspired art really, really beautiful. For example, a lot of elements such as a dragon or a jade stone, and everything are really beautiful to design. Actually, for this one jade design I made it blue instead of green. People oftentimes think Lunar New Year is only associated with red or something but I like to break those stigmas through my nail art.

What are you most proud of for your own creative work?

The fact that I did it. I think it's easy to be in your head and suddenly start to think about all these things, ponder about other things, and eventually, not do it at all. But for me, there's power in just fucking doing it. Going back to that one question about how I knew when I was ready to open up my nail art service, and it’s that you’re never ready. You'll never be ready even when you think you’re ready, but you just have to do it. It’s also about trusting that there's really no problem you can't solve and having the confidence that you can solve whatever problem or issue that comes to you, and being okay with the fact that sometimes, things don't work out and that's okay.

Honestly, when I first started doing nail art, I told myself, ‘Fake it until you make it.’ There were so many things about doing other people’s nails that I didn't know. For instance, when clients would send me a photo of an idea and I’m thinking, ‘Oh fuck, I don't know how to do this.’ But you know what, that means you're meant to find a solution. I'm going to try to find a solution on how to design it because even if I've never done it before, it’s not going to stop me from evolving in my own craft.

I think people stop growing when they think they're good enough or when they think they're on top of the world. And I’m not saying you always have to feel insecure about your craft, but I think it's the thirst of knowledge and the thirst of wanting to constantly be better that keeps you going.

What do you feel like is your next evolution with nail art?

I would love to collaborate with fashion designers or artists, illustrators, etc. Yesterday, I found one tattoo artist and I was like, ‘I love this work. I would love to turn your tattoo sketches into nails.’ I think that's my niche — my interest lies in turning anything into a nail design. There's something really cool about infusing two worlds that people might not have thought about before together.

Next time, if you find any pictures and you're thinking, ‘You know what? This could be a cool nail aesthetic,’ then you send that to me. I'll turn that into nails.

This is a story from my ongoing artist portrait series and editorial campaign entitled Artist/Within. It is a collection of conversations I’ve captured with the artists in my life, revealing the delicate balance they maintain between their daily routines and the pursuit of their artistic passions.

Read other conversations within the collection here.